


stubborn valentine

by pepsipink



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, Fluff, ffxv valentines exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 14:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13683252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepsipink/pseuds/pepsipink
Summary: Ignis feels as though Valentine's Day isn't worth the celebration when the stakes are so high - Aranea decides she's gonna change his mind.for the FFXV Valentine's Exchange on twitter.





	stubborn valentine

**Author's Note:**

> heyoo! i was the secret valentine for greetingsadventurer over at tumblr! I hope you like it! <3 
> 
> prefacing this by saying i know nothing about baking i cant bake i guessed i googled it

In a world of darkness, there wasn’t much reason for celebration. The king takes his slumber, to return after he’s taken the time to win over his throne - and yet, nearly every holiday that passed without Noctis, Ignis  _ did _ find people celebrating.

The celebrations were never as lively as they once were in his home of Insomnia, a somber environment always surrounded those who found the energy to indulge, however it was much more than Ignis could muster up to do. Surely he helped celebrate birthdays, and other events that involved in gift giving - even if the gifts were lackluster due to the state of the world they were in - yet on a day that was about that  _ one _ person who one felt truly deserved all their time, and perhaps money, and gifts? Ignis feels as though he couldn’t care less.

Year after year went by, watching as Gladio cozied up with one of Lestallum’s many, and Prompto giving out gift after gift in an effort to land some action of his own, Ignis didn’t find there to be any reason for him to try it out for himself. He was never really a man of romance (though, admittedly, he was  _ very _ good at it if he had to be) - so Valentine’s Day? He’s happy to skip out and help Prompto with the chocolate he unsuccessfully tried to pawn off on Cindy in an attempt at her affections. 

Of course - Ignis was also very stubborn; so when Aranea Highwind stops by a week before and starts making some very obvious passes, he doesn’t flinch.

This kind of behavior doesn’t let up, though, and throughout the missed Valentine opportunity that was laid out right in front of him, Aranea decides to be stubborn in return - Ignis is going to land himself a Valentine’s Day Kiss whether he’s expecting it or not.

She sits across from him at the restaurant he frequents on his nights off from hunting, and though he’s hard of seeing, he acknowledges her presence by ordering  _ two _ drinks for their tables, and Aranea lets out the longest exhale of her life - relieved that he’s just acting constipated, and isn’t really having that much of a solidary breakdown.

“So, you really don’t like cozy holidays, do you?”

She sets her chin in her hands, leaning forward against the table - her green eyes glimmer with mischievousness - Ignis can sense that too. 

“It isn’t so much that I  _ dislike _ them. Should the circumstances be different, I’d be happy to celebrate. There’s just… so much that could be  _ done _ , as opposed to spending the gil that none of us really have.”

He sits up straight, sure to position his cane against the table so it doesn’t fall to the ground. His glasses slide down ever so slightly, giving Aranea a glimpse of his once hazel colored eyes, noting that the scarring has finally begun to heal after nearly three years of the damage being done. He’s very tense, very worn out - and god, Aranea can’t  _ stand _ to see a young man act like he’s two thousand years old because of a little mishap.

Aranea screwed up  _ plenty _ of times in her youth! She’d seen death, or worse! Noctis was completing his royal duty - and of course, it was reason enough for Ignis to be depressed - but three years later? Four - five? (she’d lost count.) 

Ignis Scientia was going to smile for at least 2 minutes straight if it was the  _ last _ thing she’d do.

“C’mon specs. Sure - this world sucks, but let people celebrate. Like,  _ everything _ is bad - allowing people to have like, one good thing isn’t the end of the world!”

“I’ve no issue with people celebrating, Aranea. I simply wish to keep to myself. And I’ve been doing a fine job, thank you.”

She rolls her eyes, taking a swig of her drink once the cute waitress finally arrives with it. 

“Okay, smartass. When was the last thing you had dinner made, specifically for you?”

“...I ordered something to go just a few hours ago. The little shop in the Lestallum Marketplace is truly a hidden treasure, you know.”

Aranea resists the urge to splash her drink in his face.

“You know what I mean, asshole.”

“Well - ah, I can’t remember. Perhaps Iris, once I got settled into my apartment here.”

“That was like, two years ago. Yeah, not gonna cut it. Finish your mojito and come with me. We’re gonna do some baking, and the gods know I can’t do that shit by myself.”

“Pardon?”

“You heard me - I don’t know what kind of sweets you’re into, so you’re gonna pick ‘em out, and I’m gonna dish ‘em together. If it’s good or not is up to debate, but Valentine’s Day is all about the thought! - And buddy, I’ve been thinkin’ about you a  _ lot _ .”

* * *

 

Though Ignis wound up sulking the whole time, Aranea was actually able to get some decent information out of him. Kid was a big fan of coffee, and coffee flavored things. So she’s decided on a literal coffee cake - and she’s gonna find the best damn coffee in Lestallum, even though he insists that Ebony really  _ is _ the best - poor thing apparently was so accustomed to the instant shit, that he hadn’t had a  _ fresh _ coffee in a long time. So she’s gonna make that for him too - even if it’s going to keep him awake… all night (?) (when was day, and when was night? Did it matter? Was anybody keeping track?) She might not’ve been the  _ best _ cook, but when she was on her own with her army, she made due pretty well - but her coffee? Well, it was the best.

He picks out some pretty obscure ingredients, as if to discourage Aranea, but he doesn’t get very far in doing so, because she  _ does _ threaten to fuck it up, and to make Ignis’s entire apartment smell like pure ass for a week straight. Aranea does, however, insist on picking out the coffee beans to grind up - he’d be thanking her until next Valentine’s Day (in which, she’d be getting one hell of a gift from him - just a prediction.)

Once they actually hunker down to bake, Ignis sits firmly still - and he judges her.

“You have to sift  _ everything _ , Aranea. Lumps will make for an uneven batter.”

“You’re literally blind - it can be the ugliest cake in the world, and you wouldn’t know.”

“I can taste the mean spirit in anybody’s cooking, my dear. You underestimate just how well my senses have gotten.”

With her back turned to him, she mocks every word that comes out of his mouth. 

Not that she was  _ surprised _ , but Ignis’s wisdom really did come in handy. He was able to explain to her the importance of exact measurements, and what to look for when whisking the batter. He told her about knocking the pan against the counter surface to rid any bubbles that might’ve been hiding. She didn’t have much experience baking from scratch, and was much more accustomed to the boxed mixes that she’d buy on sale every now and then to celebrate victory with her men. She still kind of messed those up - especially with help from Biggs and Wedge, but with Ignis? She had a fair shot of being, like, a  _ really _ good cook. 

The smell of coffee resonates throughout Ignis’s entire apartment, and it’s entirely pleasant. It’s not overwhelming, and strong to the point of making them nauseas, but it’s kind, and actually makes the place feel like home, as opposed to the shoddy temporary closet that it actually was. 

The timer  _ dings _ once Aranea is halfway through with the topping, which Ignis assures her is alright, since they have to allow the cake to  _ cool,  _ otherwise it’ll fall apart while applying - and when Aranea removes it from the oven, she’s kind of speechless.

“Amazing what teamwork can do.” 

Ignis joins her at her side, leaning over her shoulder ever so slightly to get a good smell of the delicious confection that was laid upon his counter.

“How’s it look?”

“Oh - it looks  _ good _ .” She hums, admiring her handiwork. “I’ve never seen such a smooth lookin’ cake. I’d sell this cake. I’d make this cake a star.”

Ignis laughs, and Aranea’s heart grows three sizes - that was step one to success - now, all she had to do was finish the damn thing and get Ignis to take a bite.

And to Frame! That! Smile! 

It takes no time at all to finish the creme, and though Ignis  _ was _ blind, she makes sure that it looks presentable - like she could show up to one of those cooking shows and win that damn award because it looks so damn good. 

She tops it off with some gentle sprinkles of coffee grinds, and sugar, dusting it off like a  _ pro _ .

“Well specs, that’s that. She’s all done.”

Ignis smiles to her (success!) and he holds up his cup of freshly brewed coffee, which he admitted  _ was _ pretty damn good.

“The suspense is killing me, Aranea.” He says, mouth twitching when he hears the sound of the plate clicking before him. “May I?”

“Be my guest.”

He takes the first bite, and dull eyes light up within a moment. He’s savoring it, and Aranea has to resist getting in his face to hear his opinion - did she fuck it up? Did she win it?

“Are you  _ positive _ you’ve never baked from scratch?” Ignis asks, taking, much to her surprise, a second bite. “This is fantastic! The coffee flavoring isn’t too strong, it’s so very light, and the creme? Best I’ve tasted - that wasn’t my own, of course.”

Aranea gives a quiet notion of success to herself, and swings around the table to join Ignis with her own plate. As she bites into it, yeah, she can say that she did a pretty good job - a  _ damn _ good job! 

“Well Ignis, what do you think? Is celebrating some stupid meaningless in this world of darkness holiday  _ really _ that bad?”

Ignis sets his fork down, looking to Aranea with the most genuine smile she’d seen in these long years without the sun.

“I suppose, if every holiday turns out to be  _ this _ much of an adventure, then no, it isn’t bad at all.”

Aranea throws an arm around him, much to his surprise, planting a small kiss to his cheek.

“Good - cuz you owe me one, now - and if I don’t get some five star Ignis confection, then I’m gonna be  _ pissed _ .”

“For you, Aranea, I will be  _ sure _ to blow your damn mind.”

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://www.pepsipink.tumblr.com) / [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/sodapopcore)


End file.
